Scream with Me

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Maryanne could spend the rest of the night kissing Jensen and be perfectly happy to do so. She liked how normal and safe she felt in his arms but no fantasy lasted forever and he was the first one to step back. Her heart hadn’t stopped racing since he pulled her down onto the couch. She started into his eyes and hoped he didn’t regret what happened. “Are you ok?” she asked nervously.

His brows rose. “Me? Aren’t I supposed to ask you that? I kissed you.” He sounded as clueless as she left about the rules of kissing. That made her feel better to know she wasn’t the only one nervous.

“But you pulled away first so…” she couldn’t handle the intensity in his eyes anymore and busied herself by brushing her hair back behind her ears and glancing around the living room.

“I pulled away because I realized after everything that happened today maybe I was taking advantage.” He explained softly.

“Oh! No, I wasn’t thinking that.” She quickly reached out and took his hands, she would hate for him to blame himself for something that would never be his fault like the nightmare of a day she had. “Right here with you is the best I’ve felt in a long time.” She owed it to him to be honest after everything he’s done for her in the last few days.

He smiled brightly with relief. “I’m glad.”

“I just…” she wanted to continue to open up to him and figure out at least one thing tonight and maybe the scattered pieces of her head and heart wouldn’t hurt so much. “I didn’t think you liked me in that way. I’m an addict that reminds you of all the bad things of your past.” It stung to admit such things but they were the truth and she couldn’t keep hiding from it. Running from the truth was what turned her to drugs in the first place.

He shook his head. “No it isn’t like that Maryanne. The fact you did remind me of my dad’s struggles made me want to help you but the friendship we developed was only about us. I do like you and not just as a friend.” Whatever nerves he had been feeling minutes ago disappeared as he looked at her with no doubt in his words.

She thought her heart might burst from relief. “I like you too since that dinner at Nate’s. I couldn’t help notice how funny and cute you were.”

He smiled and she noticed all the humor lightening up his eyes. “Cute like a puppy or I wouldn’t mind seeing you naked one day kinda cute?”

She laughed hard enough that the tears she had been struggling with fell free. “Both.” She confessed a minute later.

“Both? That’s weird but I guess it makes sense. Puppies are naked and cute at the same time so I guess I can work to achieve that.” He smiled as she laughed again. “You’re going to crack a rib if you keep laughing like that. I think maybe you’re sleep deprived because I’m really not that funny.”  

“Maybe but I don’t want to go to bed yet.”

He gave her another dazzling smile and held onto her hand. “Ok.” They spent the rest of the night talking and laughing.

In the next week Maryanne found a comfortable and safe routine, she and Annalise continued to stay at the cabin. With the money she managed to save from her allowance she was able to keep them in supplies and food but even so Jensen continued to find a way to sneak things in when she wasn’t looking after she declined his money, she did after all already owe him so much.

 During school hours she was leaving Annalise with Nate’s mom to baby sit, the woman was a godsend who enjoyed the time with the little girl and spoiled her senseless. While Maryanne was at school all her focus went into her studies because she knew that was the key. If she could get a scholarship out of town maybe Danny could be out of her life permanently.

It wasn’t ideal, she was coming to love the little town and the support she had there. She didn’t want to leave Nate and Jensen but at the same time she had to do what was best for Annalise and they supported it. Jensen joked about how planes and cars were invented for that very reason and promised wherever she ended up he’d be there.  

During that last week they had managed to find several moments out of the day to sneak in kisses and it didn’t take long for Nate to catch them and make jokes at their expense like any best friend would.

Maryanne was scared about how happy she felt. It had been so many years since she had felt sane and never had she felt a love like this. The people in her life were supporting and non judging, they wanted to help because they were good people not because it’d make them look better to the community or because they got something out of it.

The last week had been going so well that she stupidly let her guard down. She let herself believe nothing bad could happen again because she was away from home and the darkness that loomed there.

She was staying late at school to make up a test she had missed last week taking care of Annalise. There were a few teachers left in the building catching up on work, all the students were gone leaving the parking lot bare but that wasn’t the problem because she never made it to the parking lot.

Mrs. Lee was called out to take a call in the main office as they were finishing up. “I’ll see you tomorrow Maryanne, you can leave the test on my desk.”

“Thank you Mrs. Lee.” Maryanne gathered her supplies and put them back in her bag. She was laying the test on the desk just like her teacher asked when he stepped into the classroom. Just like that her glass ball of fragile happiness shattered onto the floor in a million aching pieces. Her heart raced with fear as the walls closed in on her, the walls being his towering frame and dark eyes holding a promise of nothing good.

She found her legs and stumbled back before he could touch her. He was smart enough to block the door so that she couldn’t escape. The windows didn’t open up and down like most traditional ones; these rolled out and opened the panes at a downward angle.

“There’s no where for you to go.” Danny said as her mind made that same realization. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find you?”

She cried. “I hoped so.”

He cornered her at the back of the room, his hands wrapped around her arms like the shackles they were. “Your parents are waiting for us, they know everything and your dad is going to officiate the ceremony for us but what kind of wedding would it be without our daughter? Where is she?”

“No.”

“No? You know how much I hate that word.” His grip tightened on the tops of her arms as he pulled her forward and slammed her back against the wall.

She ignored the wave of dizziness the force of the wall made. “I’m not letting you see her ever again. I’m not going to let you ruin her life like you ruined mine you son of a bitch.” So many times she wished for the strength to stand up to her nightmare and finally it was here, finally she could give him a piece of her mind and even if nothing came out of it at least he knew what was in her heart.

“No one has ever believed anything you said. It’d be so easy to go to court and take her from you.”

“Your threats aren’t going to work! She’s my daughter and that counts for something. Dad never wanted to accept his favorite pet was a dirty child molester but I’m sure I can find someone at the court to believe me and even if you lie and tell them I was asking for it you still can’t change the fact you raped me when I was fourteen. You have to live with that and when you die I know you’ll suffer for all your sins.” Endless hot streams of tears ran down her face and dripped down her jaw. The memories were so close, close enough to touch her as he was now. She couldn’t close her eyes to the images of him holding her down, the ways he hurt her and made her bleed for his sick pleasure.

He lowered his face down to her cheek and whispered, “I’m going to make you scream and in the end you’re going to give me everything I want.”